The present invention relates to housings and, more particularly, to housings having connector members.
A variety of different applications use housings with connector members passing through a wall of the housing to connect a component within the housing to a component outside the housing. For example, an electrical circuit within the housing may be connected to an external circuit. The housing may be provided for environmental protection, physical isolation or the like. One example of use of such a housing is a photocontrol device.
Photocontrol devices may be used in a variety of applications where it is desirable to provide a control signal responsive to detection of a light level. One common application of such photocontrol devices is in the detection of ambient light levels. In particular, photocontrol devices may be used to detect the transition from daylight to night so that lights may be turned on for security, safety and/or aesthetic reasons. For example, street lights are generally provided with photocontrol devices to turn on the street lights at dusk. An example of such a photocontrol device is the Model 2000 series of photocontrols available from Tyco Electronics Corporation. Such a device may be a switch mode power converter of relatively high voltage alternating current to relatively low voltage direct current. The light may be detected by a photocontrol transistor and the electric impulses therefrom may be analyzed by various circuit components having a programmable reference level. The transistor may further operate as a switch (ON/OFF), based on a pre set value corresponding to the intensity of detected light passing from day to night and vice versa.
In such photocontrol devices, it is known to provide an electrical connector extending from the housing, typically an alternating current (AC) power connector, the configuration of which may vary based on the application/geographic location. Internally, the pins of the AC power connector are electrically coupled to a photosensor switching circuit within the photocontrol device. A variety of methods are known for attaching the AC power connector pins in the housing of the photocontrol device and coupling them electrically to the circuit within the housing. One approach uses a screw thread on a connector pin and attaching nut to secure the connector pin to the base of the housing. The secured connector pin may then be electrically connected to the internal circuit, for example, by a contact wire. Such an approach generally requires additional parts and assembly steps in assembling the photocontrol device.
In another approach, a conventional riveting method is used to attach the external connector pin to a base of the housing. In other words, an end of the connector pin extending into the housing is bent outward and flattened (flanged) to contact the wall of the housing. Internally, the rivet flange may press against a contact pad of a connector plate positioned on the wall of the housing. The connector plate, in turn, may extend into the housing and be attached to the circuit within the housing. In such an arrangement, the rivet is generally used both for the mechanical connection and to provide an electrical contact between the external connector pin and the contact pad and, as such, the electrical connection may be sensitive to the quality of the rivet.